Access to Justice Foundation Meeting

November 11th at Noon via Zoom

Agenda & Materials

  1. Welcome and Introductions – Mr. McKinney
  2. Business Items
  3. Executive Director’s Report–Mr. Bates-Rogers (for information)
    • Pro Bono Portal Updates
      • ARprobono.org is now live & opportunities are available.
      • We will work with legal aid organizations to expand opportunities.
      • Judges and local bar associations will be asked to help promote the site. Please let us know if you can make an announcement at a local bar or other group. Autumn can send you materials about the site.
      • A mailer will be sent out to announce the site.
    • Language Access Initiative
      • Work will begin in 2023.
      • The Foundation will make available language access posters and assist court staff in installing them in compliance with Justice Index best practices.
      • Translation of key forms and documents will be a priority.
        • The order of protection petition form needs to be translated. It’s currently available in English and Spanish only.
        • The summons needs to be translated and rewritten in plain language English. The current form is available only in English.
        • We will also be offering support to Courts in translating their local forms and signage when the Office of Interpreter Services is backlogged.
    • Administrative Order 22 Amendment
      • At our last meeting the board voted to request that the Supreme Court of Arkansas amend Administrative Order 22 to eliminate the ability of banks to charge fees against IOLTA interest.
      • Only two of 87 IOLTA Banks charge these fees.
      • After further discussions with the Court and the Office of Professional Conduct, a minor tweak to Arkansas Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15 was needed.
      • Staff have submitted redlined version of both Administrative Order 22 and ARPC 1.15, along with a memo explaining need for the requested changes.
  4. IOLTA Report-Ms. Parker (for information)
    • IOLTA Trends
    • Preferred IOLTA Banks
      • New Preferred IOLTA Banks
        • Regions Bank
        • First State Bank of Warren
        • Generations Bank
        • Peoples Bank of Magnolia
        • Relyance Bank
        • Priority Bank
      • Total of 32 out of 87 banks are now Preferred IOLTA Banks
      • Preferred IOLTA Rate to stay steady at 0.50% through the end of the year.
      • We need your help! If your bank is not on this list, let’s set up a meeting with your bank contact to talk about how they are missing out on business by not being a Preferred IOLTA Bank.
  5. Project Reports–Ms. Brenneman (for information)
  6. Partner Organization Updates (for information)
    • Access to Justice Commission/Joint Resource Development Committee– Mr. Mayfield
      • Access to Justice Month Kickoff Report
      • Save the date for next year—October 5th @ 6 pm
    • Legal Aid Program Updates – Mr. Mumgaard & Mr. Richardson
      • Milo Mumgaard former director of Legal Aid of Nebraska is the new Executive Director at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.
      • Statewide Legal Aid Conference Report
  7. Next Meeting Date: Please respond to this Doodle to help us set our 2023 meeting dates. 
    • Meetings will take place via Zoom and last one and half hours with the exception of the May/June dates. That meeting will be our joint board retreat. We will have a reception the night before and a full-day, in-person meeting on the date of the meeting. Location TBD, but lodging will be provided.
  8. Meeting Adjourned